Mississippi State’s Nick Fitzgerald (7) gives a stiff arm to a Kansas State defender in the first half. Mississippi State and Kansas State played in a college football game on Saturday, September 8, 2018, in Manhattan, Kansas. Photo by Keith Warren/Madatory Photo Credit

MANHATTAN, Kansas – The return of senior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald’s as Mississippi State’s starter brought the anticipation and suspense of something new. But when Fitzgerald took the field against Kansas State on Saturday, everything felt the same.

All offseason, the buzz around Starkville was that head coach Joe Moorhead would make a new quarterback of Fitzgerald. The sample size is only one game, but Fitzgerald looked to be the same guy Mississippi State fans have watched throughout the past two seasons.

Fitzgerald is nationally renowned as a runner – not many quarterbacks do it better. But as a passer, the same woes that plagued Fitzgerald during his first two seasons as MSU's starter resurfaced in the inaugural game of his final season.

To nobody's surprise, Fitzgerald displayed his rushing prowess against the Wildcats. He ran 19 times for 159 yards. He had five carries before sophomore running back Kylin Hill got his first.

Mississippi State’s Nick Fitzgerald (7) picks up a big gain on a run in the first quarter. Mississippi State and Kansas State played in a college football game on Saturday, September 8, 2018, in Manhattan, Kansas. Photo by Keith Warren/Madatory Photo Credit

Hill eventually tallied 211 yards on 17 carries. The fact that Fitzgerald ran five times before Hill ran once reveals how much Moorhead and his staff still value their starting quarterback as a runner. Up 21 points in the fourth quarter, Fitzgerald was still turning upfield on designed quarterback runs.

“The general number we have in our head is 15-20 for called runs, not accounting for scrambles,” Moorhead said. “So I would guess we probably hit in that range (moving forward).”

Moorhead’s comments hint that Fitzgerald will continue to run at the rate he did Saturday. It was working, after all. When MSU needed to move the chains on short or intermediate distances, Fitzgerald reliably gained those yards with his legs throughout the game.

But when the Bulldogs called on him to keep drives alive through the air, he had far less success. Fitzgerald overthrew open receivers on multiple occasions, and other times he flat out missed his intended target. He finished the day 11-of-27 passing for 154 yards – five fewer yards than he ran for.

“Obviously, I didn’t have a great day passing it,” Fitzgerald said. “I’m going to continue to work on that with (quarterbacks) coach (Andrew) Breiner and coach Moorhead to get the accuracy going.”

Moorhead has made it clear that the benchmark for passing completion percentage for his quarterbacks is 65 percent. Through two games, sophomore Keytaon Thompson and Fitzgerald have a combined percentage of 41.2.

Both Thompson and Fitzgerald love to run, and they do it well. When the flow of the game enables Moorhead to let them roam, it’s evident that he will stray from his roots as a prolific-passing promoter. Good coaches stick with what works, and through two games, the quarterback running game has been effective.

Mississippi State’s Nick Fitzgerald (7) and Mississippi State’s Keytaon Thompson (10) talk with Andrew Breiner, MSU pass game coordinator/quarterbacks coach prior to the game. Mississippi State and Kansas State played in a college football game on Saturday, September 8, 2018, in Manhattan, Kansas. Photo by Keith Warren/Madatory Photo Credit

Moorhead’s use of run-pass-options is also well documented. This isn’t Dan Mullen calling quarterback draws every other play. Many of Moorhead’s plays allow Fitzgerald to decide whether to hand off to Hill, take off himself or sit back and throw. Based on his skillset, he often chooses the middle option.

“I think that’s just a byproduct of the offense,” Moorhead said. “We make a call, and he has a read whether to give it or to pull it based on what the defender does, and that’s where the ball goes.”

Mississippi State can win even with Fitzgerald’s deficiencies in the passing game. The Bulldogs have already proven that. But if Fitzgerald figures it out and progresses as a passer under Moorhead’s tutelage, an already dynamic MSU offense will have the versatility needed to contend in the powerful SEC West.